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On a bright March day, a post on eTwinning launched 'Green Thrive'! The idea? Eco-friendly schools, focusing on four key areas: water saving, paper saving, energy saving, and waste management. It was an invitation to join a green team, making schools the greenest and our planet happier! -
Teachers prepared parental consent forms to ensure proper permissions were in place. They also introduced students to basic netiquette and online safety rules through films, discussions, and other interactive activities.
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We - Monika Świątek, Jesica Klein, Isabel Hernandez, Sedef Melikoğlu, Şeyda Ünal, Gönül Dural, and Fatma Güldal - met for the first time on Zoom to connect, introduce ourselves, and begin shaping the foundations of our collaboration. During this initial meeting, we jointly worked on outlining the project plan and preparing parental consent forms to ensure a smooth and ethical implementation. -
Students create avatars and submit brief self-introductions, each consisting of three sentences, on a designated Padlet board. -
Our eco-education project was officially registered on March 21, marking the formal beginning of our initiative. This date represents our commitment to promoting environmental awareness and educational collaboration. -
Students record short school tour videos, highlighting the environments and spaces where they spend most of their time during the school day. These videos are then uploaded on TwinSpace, allowing partner schools to explore and compare learning environments. -
We held our first international online meeting for all participating students and teachers, structured into several interactive segments. Şeyda Ünal led a session on netiquette and online safety, Jessica Klein introduced the core ideas surrounding sustainability, Monika Świątek facilitated a community-building activity which encouraged empathy and reflection on identity and differences, Sedef Melikoğlu organized a live logo voting contest. -
We conducted an informal screening to collect students’ insights and reflections from the first international meeting, focusing on their engagement and initial impressions of the project. This short feedback activity allowed us to identify what resonated most and adjust the next steps to better meet their interests and needs.
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Teachers (Monika Świątek, Jesica Klein, Sedef Melikoğlu, Şeyda Ünal, Gönül Dural, and Fatma Güldal) met to revise the project outline and collaboratively update the action plan, deciding to add a fifth pillar to our sustainability focus. In addition to water saving, energy saving, paper reduction, waste management, and greenery, the new pillar emphasizes creating a more emotionally supportive, inclusive, and student-friendly school environment. -
Monika Świątek divided the students into five international groups based on the key pillars of sustainability. Each group was assigned a dedicated teacher coordinator: Plants – Monika Świątek, Water – Jessica Klein, Paper – Fatma Güldal, Waste – Şeyda Ünal Gönül Dural, and Energy – Sedef Melikoğlu. -
Students, together with their teacher coordinators, wrote and prepared audit forms to assess the eco-status of their schools and determine how sustainable they truly were. In total, five detailed audits - each focused on a key area: plants, water, paper, waste, and energy - were created. -
Students collected data through interviews with teachers and staff members, classroom and schoolyard observations, and digital tools such as plant identification applications. They documented their findings, filled in the audit forms, and submitted the results via Google Forms for centralized analysis. -
During the second online international meeting, students learned how to transform their raw audit data into structured reports, emphasizing analysis, practical implications, and clear conclusions. In the second part of the session, they explored the creative process of composing awareness-raising songs using Suno AI, combining data-driven insight with artistic expression to engage their peers in sustainability topics. -
Students submitted their collaboratively written reports via a shared Google Drive folder, ensuring transparent access and teamwork across international teams. Each group worked under the guidance of a designated coordinator: Monika Świątek (Plants Greenery), Jesica Klein (Water), Sedef Melikoğlu (Energy), Gönül Dural (Waste), and Fatma Güldal (Paper) -
The student feedback survey was intentionally brief to encourage honest, accessible responses while gathering insights on engagement, preferred activities, and ideas for improvement. Results highlighted a strong interest in collaborative, creative, and tech-integrated learning, offering valuable guidance for shaping future sessions in line with students’ voices and motivations. -
Two teachers, Świątek and Melikoğlu together with their students, collaborated to create Eco-Bingo Boards - interactive tools that transform field trips into hands-on, inquiry-based learning experiences focused on sustainability. These boards were shared among partner schools, enabling students to engage actively and reflectively during visits to eco-institutions. -
Shortly before the third meeting on April 28, Teacher Monika Świątek invited students to share their preliminary ideas for the project’s final products, responding to their innovative suggestions for new applications and websites. This proactive engagement demonstrated our commitment to a student-centered approach, actively incorporating their creativity into the project’s development. -
We worked in five breakout rooms, each guided by teacher coordinators, to brainstorm ideas for the final project products. The groups were divided as follows: Water with Jessica Klein and Monika Haníková; Paper with Tina Franić and Fatma Güldal; Waste with Gönül Dural; Energy with Costin Nina Catalina and Sedef Melikoğlu; and Plants with Monika Świątek. After the discussions, we reconvened in the main channel to outline a unified plan of action. -
Field trips to eco-institutions based on the agreed division: WASTE (selective waste collection point, recycling centre, workshop at the Association for Nature, Environment and Sustainable Development), GREENERY (gardening centre, botanical park), WATER (sewage treatment plant, water usage facility, drinking water reservoir, in-school workshop), PAPER (paper collection preparation facility, printing house), ENERGY (nuclear power plant, inquiry-based session with an eco-advisor, expert lecture) -
During the international meeting, students collaboratively analyzed the poem “The Road Not Taken,” exploring its themes and symbolism. They then brainstormed how the concept of “roads” relates to sustainability, choices, and future paths. This discussion encouraged deeper reflection on personal and collective responsibility in building a sustainable world. -
Students transformed their observations and insights from the field trips into various forms of artistic expression, creatively reflecting what they saw and learned about sustainability in their environments. -
Using a shared Canva file, students collaboratively wrote articles incorporating their photos and key observations from the field trips. This digital platform enabled seamless teamwork across schools and countries, fostering a rich exchange of perspectives. The final articles not only documented their experiences but also deepened their understanding of sustainability topics through reflective writing. -
Students collaboratively wrote the script for the audiobook in a shared Google Doc, with each chapter coordinated by teacher leaders from their respective groups:
Prologue (Monika Świątek), Chapter 1a (Sedef Melikoğlu), Chapter 1b (Costin Nina Catalina), Chapter 2 (Gönül Dural), Chapter 3 (Monika Hániková), Chapter 4 (Monika Świątek), Chapter 5 (Tina Franić), Epilogue (Monika Świątek) -
Following the same division, students recorded their respective audiobook chapters, designed individual covers, and uploaded the completed segments to YouTube for sharing and wider accessibility. -
Students collaboratively developed a comprehensive coursebook based on the audiobook, creating over 120 pages of content enriched with interactive QR-embedded materials tailored for high school teachers. This entire coursebook was designed using Canva to ensure an engaging and accessible learning resource. -
A Green Day celebration was held, with each school organizing its own unique version of the event, engaging the entire school community. Most schools coordinated school-wide flower planting activities around the campus, while others hosted sustainability-themed workshops led by students, eco-fashion shows using recycled materials, or creative competitions to raise awareness and promote environmental responsibility. -
Students collaboratively compiled a list of 365 mini eco-challenges in a shared Google file, organized by theme and coordinated within their international groups. Each group was led by designated teacher coordinators: Monika Świątek (Plants Greenery), Jessica Klein Monika Haníková (Water), Fatma Güldal Tina Franić (Paper), Sedef Melikoğlu Costin Nina Catalina (Energy), and Gönül Dural (Waste). -
We also designed and developed a variety of educational web-based games in HTML to engage students in playful yet meaningful learning. These include "Flower Snake," a twist on the classic game that integrates tips on plant care, "Catch the Drop," with fast-paced reflex challenges, a recycling game with emojis, where players sort waste into the correct bins, "Paper Quiz" and an "Energy Quest"-challenge for 14 days or 14 hours. -
The 365 eco-challenges laid the foundation for the development of the Eco365 Digital Calendar - a tool offering one eco-challenge per day for students and teachers alike. With a built-in “Share It” feature for social media, it encourages daily action, visibility, and community engagement. Rooted in the belief that sustainable habits are formed through consistent practice, the initiative aims to gradually transform school culture - so that after 365 days, each school will be eco-conscious. -
For those who thrive on competition, we developed an additional digital application that brings a gamified dimension to our eco journey. It allows each school to register, track their progress, and complete daily eco-challenges for points, badges, and leaderboard rankings. Designed to motivate through friendly rivalry, the app not only promotes sustained engagement but also fosters a sense of international community as schools around the world work toward a greener future - together. -
Students were invited to share a short reflection in the form of a virtual postcard, expressing something meaningful they learned, valued, or did during the project—such as a simple eco-action or personal insight. To enrich the experience, they could also upload a photo capturing an inspiring moment, a natural scene, or a glimpse into their everyday lives.